Cultural worker and photographer Eduardo Vera Luna will present a guest lecture about the Mexican folk and dance tradition, huapango, exploring its history, its origins in the Huasteca region of Mexico and the growing presence of the tradition in the United States. The Texas Folklife presentation will provide background information on the “Huapango Sin Fronteras” Festival in Austin to be held on May 31st. This historic event is the first huapango festival in the United States to feature all U.S.-based musicians. For people who have never been to a small town or ranch huapango fiesta this festival will provide a unique experience to enjoy one of the most traditional music genres of Mexico with its dances and its people.

Eduardo Vera Luna has been involved with traditional Latin American music as a record label owner, photographer, and arts director for over two decades. He was president and owner of the independent record label Tenoch Records. In 2011, Vera Luna published the book, Maestros del Son, in which he researched and photographed many of the oldest traditional musicians in Mexico. His photos have appeared in Borderlands, Texas Poetry Review, CuartoOscuro, and many other publications.

Also in attendance at the Texas Folklife informational session will be “Huapango Sin Fronteras” organizer Raul Orduña, who will answer questions about the festival and also perform with his huapango group, Los Trovadores. Raul Orduña, born in Atarjea, Guanajuato, is a resident of Texas. With his group Los Trovadores, Orduña aims to preserve the tradition of huapango arribeño. The ensemble has performed throughout the United States and Mexico.

Profiles of dance majors for their spring 2015 concert, Geographies of the Body. These profiles were created by students in Kenneth Rogers' class as part of Stories from Deep in the Heart, a project of Texas Folklife and McCallum Fine Arts Academy.On April 10, 2015, dance majors in AISD's dedicated... Continue Reading...

In eight cities from south, central, east and north Texas, 3,100 miles covered in about 50 hours of driving (the length of a cross-country road trip!), eleven television and radio appearances, presenting seventy four artists in showcases to over 1,000 traditi... Continue Reading...

Enjoy the finished audio stories by youth producers at Grisham Middle School during the 2014-15 school year. For this project in collaboration with "Stories from Deep in the Heart," students documented a wide range of folklife traditions, such as Norwegian and German family recipes in the U.S., the... Continue Reading...